The Garden.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1024, 16 October 1891, Page 27

The Garden.

CUCUMBERS UNDER GLASS. The commencement of another season reminds us of the many failures which occur in this land of amateurs in the cultivation of the cucumber, and, with a view to assisting such, we purpose giving occasional notes on their culture as the season advances. In this article we will deal only with the early stages of cultivation. Many people fail by trying to get cucumbers earlier than their means will admit; this plant will not thrive without plenty of heat, and, as few people can command hot water pipes or flues, resource must he had to fermenting stable manure, and-this will not suffice unless large beds are made up, and the stuff thoroughly prepared. In most instances the fruit is only wanted for private consumption and a week or two earlier or later is of less consequence than success with the crop. Long experience in this district, backed up with English learning to begin with, has made us so thoroughly conversant with cucumber growing, as to be able to figuratively count our chickens before they are hatched, and we unhesitatingly assert that he who sows his seed before the first week in August is giving himself endless trouble ; sown at that time in 3in pots, one seed in each pot, and potted on as they grow into sin or 6in pots the plants will, by the end of September, have made fine plants. Our plan is to make up a small bed of stable manure in a greenhouse for raising the plants. This gives us the chance to make an entirely new bed on which to grow them for fruit. The permanent bed is got ready so as to allow the heat to tone down a hit by the time the plants are ready, and before they have become pot bound with roots. The selection of a proper soil on which to grow them is the most important part of their culture, and it is seeing a failure oil a very large scale—embracing about 200 square yards of glass structure —which has occurred in this neighbourhood, this season, from error in selecting soil, which has led to this article. The proper soil is fibry turf which should have been ready three or four months before wanted for use, it should be cut an inch and a half or two inches thick, and stacked grass side down. When wanted for use it should be chopped up with a spade so as to leave no pieces larger than about two inches square; if we consider it contains too little loose soil some leaf mould is added, or some ashes from a rubbish fire, but no animal manure of any kind is mixed with it, About a bushel of this is laid in heaps where each plant is to go, and is allowed to get warm before the plant is put out. If they are to be grown in a frame two plants will be enough for a frame Bft by 6ft, one plant should be planted in towards one corner of the frame and the other in corner farthest from it; if they arc to be grown in a house —which is the best place —the number of plants should be regulated by the length of rafter —if it is a short rafter 6ft apart will be near enough for tho plants, but if a long rafter say upwards of 12ft, then they may be 3ft apart. Future treatment shall bo shown in another article.

TOMATOES UNDER GLASS. Many people may wish to grow a few tomatoes in their greenhouse without being able to give it up entirely to their cultivation. This may be successfully done either by using lOin pots, or better still, long boxes 10in wide and the same deep, placed in the sunniest place available. The present writer has for many years systematically cultivated them in that way, without any artificial heat, gathering the first ripe fruit from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day. The way to get fruitful plants is to grow them in rather poor soil, and not give them too much room at the roots; if pots are to be used the lOin size will grow a plant 10ft high; if boxes are employed, the plants should be lOin apart, only fill the pots or boxes half their depth with soil in the first instance. We always use the same soil as for cucumbers.

AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS National prizes amounang to £SOO hare been allotted the Tenterfisld Agricultural Society of New ’South Wales for its show in March next. At the Orange cattle saleyards, New South Wales, two bullocks were condemned as diseased. When thoy were killed largo tumours were cut out of various parts of their carcases. Mr A. A. Fantham has sent to London a small fat beast frozen as a whole carcase, as an experiment similar to that made by the Lake Greek Freezing Company. Mr J. Dinwiddie, of Napier, has invented a fruit and vegetable evaporator, which ho is testing with very satisfactory results. The Hawkes Bay nurserymen have never had such a busy season as their last, tho quantity of fruit trees sent out being enormous. Ticks are ravaging the Kurrajong (New South Wales) district. Animals of all kinds die from their attacks, even calves and foals. Three polled Angus bulls have been pur. chased iu Oamam by Mr T. E. Cross of Porangahau, East Coast. A ewe at Waipawa, wishing no doubt to bo out of the common, recently gave lirlh to five lambs. Poisoning rabbits with carrots-and arsenic . has been so successful that very few are now seen in tho Upper Awatcre district, Marlborough. The Bruce Herald says rabbifs’ave increasing fast in that district. Since March fully 20,000 have beeu trapped between the Gorge and the Woolsbed, and at Table Hill 5000 were caught on one holding of 800 acres. During his trip to the South Island Mr W. Manson, of tho Pines, purchased 125 Lincoln rams from the flock of Mr Menlovo, of Windsor Park"' Oarnaru. They arrived on Thursday and were put in Edinhillie Park near Palmerston North. An authority, referring to the present lamentable mortality among sheep, says: One of the causes, if not the principal cause, is the want of change of pasture, and the overstocking of the land. Young cattle imported into this district, especially from Auckland, have suffered a large percentage of deaths. One settler, who had secured a mob in Auckland, is said to have lost forty head since they have been on his place, although the feed was plentiful and of the best quality. Probably the change from poor feed to very luxuriant pasture proved too much for them. We havo heard of similar instances before now. A full meal is almost certain death to a starving man.—Star. The Awahuri correspondent of the Rangitikei Advocate says : —I am sorry that MrHarry Mends, of Awahuri, has sustained a big loss, half of his slieep having died quite suddenly after lambing. They were splendid sheep, and Beemed to be in good health and condition, but, it seems, a 3 soon as they lamb the slieep fell and died. There are several farmers losing sheep in the same way. As far as I can hear they cannot account for it, unloss it is that the sheep are iu too good feed, and too fat for lambing. The Witness says that in Otago, with the exception perhaps of one or two of the northern districts, tho stocks of milling wheat in farmers’ hands are exhausted, and, as has been the case for some lime past, during the ensuing five months breadstuffs for the southern population must be largely drawn from Canterbury. While exportation of wheat from the principal producing districts proceeds steadily, with the prospects of acceleration should any sharp rise in prices occur in Australia, because of necessities there, it is just on the cards that that wo may be awakened at an early date to the knowledge of over exportation and constant bankruptcy in wheat and flour.

We regret to report a re-appearanee of blight on tho apricot and peach trees in Napier. Up to within a few days ago there was a splendid show of young fruit, but now the leaves are turning black and are curling up, and the bright prospect of an abundant harvest is blotted out. —Napier Telegraph. Mr Gntton has a very novel idea for drawing lots for laud, so that relations may be enabled to take up sections adjoining each other. Instead of writing single names on separate pieces of paper, the idea is to write all the names of relations who wish to be together on one piece of paper, and when the number is drawn they could take up a block of land sufficient for each in adjoining sections. In this way they could assist each other, and save a great deal of expense in the way of fencing. The Napier Evening news says in a sarcastic mood.—This country is going back fearfully 1 In Hastings rents are higher than they have been for years, and there is not a house to be had. Danevivke, Woodville, and Palmerston North are in much the same position, while house property has risen in value in Masterton till it is higher than it has been for ten years. People are everywhere crying out for land to settle cn, and every section that is put up by the Government under the ‘ hated regulations ’ has over a hundred applicants after it. It is quite clear, therefore, that the country is going to the dogs.